My Irrational Brain

I was not sure how fast my heart beat was racing and how much adrenaline my body was producing at that moment. Logic did not come to my mind any more but I knew that my feet were moving without knowing which way to go. It felt like I was in a maze; my brain was telling me there is no way out but my gut told me otherwise.
Trekking has always been one of my favourite outdoor activities and doing it again after so many years, I could not wait for it. My friend and I were climbing a mountain, to see how far we could go.
At first the trees showed signs of directions, but then ‘where in the world are we?’ hit my thoughts hard. I was asked if we should go back, since it seems like the trail is not going anywhere, but the ego of my adventurous blood felt offended at the question. So with assurance, I replied to go ahead.
As we continued to walk, the path was getting steeper. The ground was wet and slippery. Then my phobia for snakes and wild animals started to creep into my head. I started feeling nauseous but I could not show it, because it would not help at all. My ranger years were long forgotten. I use to ace those things, but right now nothing comes to mind. My imagination started to grow wild and the ‘what if’s’ played repeatedly.
This mindset stayed with me while walking. My companion kept asking me if I am sure where I am heading. With a brave face, I replied ‘yes’, but in actuality I was already visualizing what will happen to us; trying to remember any survival skills in case we can’t find our way out. The sky grew dimmer by the minute and it started to feel like Tom Hanks movie Cast Away.
Soon, I heard a noise – a motorbike engine. I sighed in big relief. The overly thought-out plans of survival came to halt, and my confidence was back on track. I knew that we can somehow find our way back to the road. I cannot seem to remember what happened next, all I know was my feet were walking to a direction that seemed irrational to my brain. My guts were all that I had at that moment, and after a few minutes of thoughtless serenity, we found the road out of the jungle maze.
It seemed like hours in there, but we soon realized we’d been there for only thirty minutes. How the mind works is really nasty at critical times. Instead of thinking what’s at hand, it sometimes calculates solutions for further casualty. It was scary but the thrill of being lost is something I want to enjoy again, for the reason that it’s an adventure that will happen rarely in a life time.